After Zhou Zhiwen left, this time he didn't hesitate at all. He quickly mounted his Charizard and sped back to the farm like lightning.
At that moment, Wen Qi was lying leisurely in the farm, his relaxed demeanor making anyone who saw him envious.
The main reason was that everything had been peaceful on the farm lately, with nothing to worry about. The orchard was being taken care of by Wen Hua and the others, their main task being fertilizing, which was easily handled with the help of the Torterra. Watering was perfectly managed by the Poliwag and its kind. As for the Miltank and Mareep, they were especially self-disciplined. Every morning, the Miltank would walk over to the automatic milking machine on its own, and Wen Hua would collect the milk for someone to pick up later. The Mareep quietly grazed, and when their wool grew long, it was trimmed—caring for them was effortless.
In other aspects, the farm really didn't demand much from Wen Qi. After all, his main source of income wasn't this farm; it was just a front. He primarily made money by selling Energy Cubes, working just a few days a month to earn a substantial income. So, Wen Qi was living quite comfortably now.
He never expected Zhou Zhiwen to return so quickly.
Just then, Zhou Zhiwen looked at the utterly relaxed Wen Qi, feeling helpless inside. It seemed that every time he came over, Wen Qi was either sitting or lying down, living such an easy life that he couldn't help but feel envious.
Zhou Zhiwen found a spot to sit and said directly, "I gave him the stuff. There was some hesitation, but he accepted it in the end. And just like you said, he prepared a gift for you. Guess what it is?"
Without lifting his head, Wen Qi casually replied, "Probably a Pokémon."
Zhou Zhiwen's eyes widened in shock, and he couldn't help blurting out, "How did you know? Did you plant a bug on me or something?"
Wen Qi rolled his eyes dramatically and pursed his lips, saying, "Do I even need to guess? For someone you're not familiar with, giving a gift that won't be disliked—it's most likely a Pokémon. Any Trainer wouldn't refuse that."
Zhou Zhiwen shook his head with a smile and immediately pulled two Poké Balls from his pocket.
This time, Wen Qi was a bit surprised. He had only guessed one, but it turned out to be two. Thinking it over, he realized these probably weren't particularly rare Pokémon, but they'd definitely be useful. Wen Qi said, "Is it the Dark-type Pokémon, Houndour?"
Zhou Zhiwen was stunned and quickly said, "No way, you can guess that too? That's amazing."
"It's not that I'm amazing. Houndour is the kind of Pokémon that's perfect for guarding the house. No one would refuse it. Even if you don't want to train it as a main battler, keeping it for security is great. And since the other party gave two at once, it means this Pokémon isn't especially rare. The only one that fits is Houndour," Wen Qi explained unhurriedly.
After hearing this, Zhou Zhiwen was full of admiration and gave Wen Qi a thumbs-up. It was then that he truly felt that, despite Wen Qi's young age, he was meticulous and sharp-minded.
Wen Qi took the two Poké Balls without hesitation. Even though he already had an Arcanine, he still planned to train these two Houndour. Accepting them might make his Arcanine jealous, but the return gift was likely Green-tier Pokémon, which had great training potential. Besides, Wen Qi was currently lacking Dark-type Pokémon. Houndour were not only loyal but also beneficial to keep. Dark-types could counter Psychic and Ghost-types, which were tough to deal with. Having Houndour now would provide an extra layer of security.
After taking the Houndour, seeing Zhou Zhiwen still sitting there, Wen Qi, not knowing what else to say, casually remarked, "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be back at work? Skipping work every day isn't good, you know."
Zhou Zhiwen's face flushed red with anger at these words. He thought to himself, "I've been running around for you these past few days, worrying and handling everything, and now that it's done, you're kicking me out? And you say skipping work is bad—I did all this for you!" A surge of rage burned within him.
"You ungrateful Wen Qi! I've worked hard for you, and you're so heartlessly driving me away! I've been exhausted these days, and you still kick me out!" Zhou Zhiwen shouted at Wen Qi, his voice full of anger and grievance.
Wen Qi just shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Oh, don't get so worked up. I was just saying it casually."
Zhou Zhiwen got even angrier and yelled, "Casually? I've been busy for you, and you dismiss me like that?"
But soon, Zhou Zhiwen calmed down a bit, realizing Wen Qi was joking with him. Though still annoyed, he pretended to scold him: "Hmph, you're such a user. Fine, I'll go. Don't come to me for anything later!"
With that, Zhou Zhiwen stood up and turned to leave in a huff. But after a few steps, he looked back and shouted at Wen Qi, "I'm really leaving now! Take care of yourself!"
"Wait."
Hearing Wen Qi call him back, Zhou Zhiwen was actually pleased inside. He turned around, feigning anger, and said, "What is it? I'm busy now. If it's not important, don't bother."
Wen Qi still spoke casually, "Come back in three days. We'll go to the research institute together. Since you're the middleman, I need you to introduce me."
Hearing this, Zhou Zhiwen felt a bit irritated and shouted, "So you called me back not to keep me, but for this? I was hoping for nothing!"
Wen Qi rolled his eyes and said, "Less talk. Are you coming or not?"
Zhou Zhiwen huffed, "I'm coming, of course! But don't expect me to put in as much effort as this time!"
After saying that, seeing Wen Qi had nothing else to say, Zhou Zhiwen left, still pretending to be angry.
In truth, Zhou Zhiwen was eager to get back and have his Charizard try the new Energy Cubes. He did have urgent matters to attend to. So, with a trace of lingering anger, he mounted his Charizard and flew off quickly.
Wen Qi watched Zhou Zhiwen leave, knowing he wasn't truly mad. He probably understood that Wen Qi was joking, and this was his way of building a closer bond. After all, sometimes when two people interact, the more polite they are, the harder it is to truly connect. Now, their relationship had actually improved a lot.